New kimberlite discoveries in Quebec

Ashton Mining of Canada (ACA-T) and Soquem have discovered two new small kimberlites while wrapping up a fall drilling program on their Foxtrot property in the Otish Mountains region of northern Quebec.

The Foxtrot property centres on the Renard cluster, a new field of highly diamondiferous kimberlitic intrusions, 275 km northeast of Chibougamau. The eight original kimberlites are diamond-bearing and relatively small and occur in an elongated, 1.5-km-long area.

The ninth new discovery, Renard 10, was made 1.5 km northwest of Renard 65 in an area characterized by a complex geophysical signature. Renard 10 was discovered during the drilling of two angle holes (-50) scissored in opposite directions across a subtle anomaly from setups spaced 235 metres apart. The first hole intersected a 1.3-metre section of kimberlite at 213 metres down-hole, followed by a 25.3-metre interval of kimberlite, starting at a depth of 237.1 metres. The second hole intercepted 10.3 metres of kimberlite at 85.2 metres down-hole.

A new kimberlite dyke system, Lynx, has been discovered by drilling, 2 km west of Renard 65, in an area up-ice of where three microdiamonds were recovered from two till samples spaced 350 and 750 metres away. Lynx was discovered by drilling two angle holes from the same setup across a broad but weak geophysical anomaly. The drilling, which intersected several narrow intervals of hypabyssal kimberlitic material at 19 metres down-hole, suggests Lynx is a 4-to-5-metre-wide, east-dipping zone of dykes in which the largest dyke has an estimated true width of about 1 metre.

Kimberlitic boulders are prevalent on surface 100 metres southwest of the discovery holes. About 4 tonnes of this material were collected for future diamond analysis. A third hole drilled from a setup 90 metres south of Lynx discovery holes did not intersect any kimberlite.

A second geophysical target coinciding with anomalous indicator minerals was drilled 550 metres south of Lynx. The drill intersected a 2-metre-thick zone hosting thin kimberlite dykes at a depth of 50 metres from surface. The Lynx body and the kimberlitic surface material collected nearby display mineralogical characteristics that are distinct from those of the Renard bodies. Indicator mineral chemistry in the vicinity of the Lynx occurrence and surrounding area suggests there is potential for multiple kimberlitic sources.

Drill core samples from Renard 10 and Lynx, along with some surface samples, will be processed for microdiamonds at Ashton’s laboratory in North Vancouver. In addition, a 165-metre-long interval of kimberlitic material intersected in recent drilling on Renard 7 will be analyzed by caustic fusion methods.

Diamond results for mini-bulk samples collected in 2003 from Renard 1, 2, 3 and 4, which weigh 8, 7.1, 5.2 and 6.6 tonnes, respectively, are not yet available. The samples will be processed by dense media separation (DMS) before the end of the first quarter of 2004. Once the analysis of these mini-bulk samples is completed, the Ashton and Soquem joint venture will have processed a total of 63.4 tonnes of kimberlitic material from five of the nine Renard bodies.

The partners are considering a 2004 program that would include the collection of a larger bulk sample designed to recover at least 100 carats of diamonds from two or more of the Renard bodies. This sample is intended to define the grade of the Renard kimberlites and provide a preliminary indication of diamond value.

Work at Foxtrot in the summer and fall of 2003 included the collection of more than 900 indicator mineral samples and the completion of several ground geophysical surveys. Results from this year’s work have led to the identification of four highly anomalous indicator mineral dispersion trains, including Lynx, in areas that are clearly separate from the Renard field.

Glacially transported kimberlitic pebbles, cobbles and boulders were discovered at three additional highly anomalous indicator mineral sample sites that are not associated with either the Renard cluster or the Lynx system. A till sample from one of these sites, 6 km north of Renard 65, returned a 0.4-mm diamond.

In addition, about 400 heavy mineral samples were collected from the Tichegami mineral claims, 100 km south of the Foxtrot property. Several follow-up ground geophysical surveys were completed.

Soquem is a Quebec Crown corporation. It and Ashton have been exploring for diamonds in northern Quebec under a joint-venture partnership since 1996.

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